RINDGE, N.H. (April 8, 2015) – Down one, with under a minute on the clock, junior Nicole Dale (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) sunk a low shot off of a feed from senior Geena Franciosi (South Easton, Mass.) to bring the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team into overtime on a snowy Wednesday afternoon. Southern New Hampshire scored three goals in the six-minute halftime to overtake the Ravens, 16-13, in Northeast-10 Conference play at Sodexo Field.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 5-5 (3-5 Northeast-10), while Southern New Hampshire improves to 5-5 (3-5 Northeast-10).

Leading by three goals at the end of the first half, 6-3, the Ravens increased their advantage to five, with goals from freshmen twins Briana Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) and by Caitlin Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) in the first 84 seconds of the second half.

Sophomore Ellen Decker then scored back-to-back goals for the Penmen to cut the deficit back to three goals, at 8-5, by 26:05.

After the Ravens had opened the lead back to four goals, Southern New Hampshire started a rally at 22:18, scored four goals in a row, and by 14:10 the game was tied 10-10.

Caitlin Sweeney scored on a free-position shot with 7:47 to play, as she cut in front on the crease, got hit and found the net inside the right post, to give the Ravens the lead and the ensuing possession on the foul.

Sophomore Courtney Nivala scored less than a minute later, also on a free-position shot, to tie the game at 11-11. Briana Sweeney scored her team-high fourth goal of the with just over five minutes to play, to give Franklin Pierce a 12-11 lead.

Southern New Hampshire posted back-to-back goals to take the lead for the first time all afternoon with just over a minute to play. Dale then answered just 19 seconds later to bring the game into overtime.

Southern New Hampshire scored within the first 30 seconds of overtime to keep the lead for the remainder of the game. Scoring two more goals along the way, the Penmen would take the 16-13 win.

Briana Sweeney finished with four goals, while Dale added three more. Caitlin Sweeney scored three goals, three assists, picked up four ground balls and caused two turnovers. Senior Madeline Shopshire (Hyannis, Mass.) scored two goals. Sophomore Kenady Kelley (Plymouth, N.H.) caused four turnovers and collected three ground balls to anchor the Ravens' defensive efforts, until an injury caused her to miss the final minutes of regulation and the entirety of overtime play.

Senior Lindsay Bucknam had four goals, as did fellow senior Emily King, to lead the way for SNHU. King filled up her stat line across the board, as she collected seven draw controls, picked up three ground balls and caused two turnovers. Meanwhile, Decker finished with three draw controls, two ground balls and two caused turnovers.

Sophomore goalkeeper Denise Hunt (Hull, Mass.) made 10 saves against 26 shots and suffered the loss (4-4) in goal for Franklin Pierce. Sophomore Nicole Kennedy finished with 15 saves against 28 shots to pick up the win (5-5) in the crease for Southern New Hampshire.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, April 11, when they travel to Southern Connecticut State for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Game time is set for noon at Jess Down Field in New Haven, Conn. Franklin Pierce next plays at home on Saturday, April 18, when they host Pace at 3 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce women's lacrosse apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).